Seed sorting machine



March 2a, 1943 1. A., Manns l2,314,593

sEEn somma MACHINE. Filed Nov.- 1, 1940 2 sheets-shea 1 /0 4j* d j@ ffm.,

r pff Patented Mar. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEED SORTING MACHINE Lee A. Medcalf, Fairgrove, Mich.

Application November 1, 1940, Serial No. 363,817

9 Claims. (01.209-113) This invention relates to seed sorting machines such as used for picking beans and separating the perfect product from the imperfect product.

One of the prime objects of the invention is to design a sorting machine by means of which pods, foreign matter, splits, and imperfect beans can be separated from the perfect beans.

Another object is to design a sorting machine including driven sorting rolls onto which the beans are fed, and provide means cooperating with said rolls whereby splits, cracked beans, and other foreign matter will be carried outwardly over the rolls, and the perfect product forced inwardly and into the trough formed between each pair of rolls.

A further object is to provide a feed box including means for agitating and distributingthe beans over the entire length of the sorting rolls as the machine is operating.

A still further object is to provide an adjustable screen frame assembly including means for reciprocating said screen frame.

With the above and other objects in View, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my improved seed sorting machine, showingit mounted on a chassis for easy portability,

Fig. 2 is a top plan View,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, transverse sectional view, showing one pair of sorting rolls, and roll feeding means, the arrows indicating the direction of rotation of the sorting rolls,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the feed box and feed means,

Fig. 5 is a detail end View assembly of the feed box and drive,

. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, isometric View showing the feed box and the means for adjusting the discharge openings therein, and,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing one of the sorting rollers and a deflector, etc.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary side view showing the screen frame reciprocating means.

' Referring now more particularly to the drawf. ings, in which I have shown the machine set up,

to sort beans, the numeral 8 indicates a structural frame of conventional design mounted on a vehicle frame 9 carried on ground engaging wheels III and springs II are connected to the axle I2 and vehicle frame 9 in the usual manner so that the machine is readily portable, and so that it can be blocked and the pitch of the sorting rolls adjusted as desired.

Sorting rolls I3 and I4 respectively, are mounted on shafts I5 as usual, which shafts are journaled in suitable bearings (not shown) provided in the end members of the frame, and intermeshingv gears I6 are provided on the ends of said shafts, a bevel gear I'I being provided on one of the shafts I5, said gear meshing with and being driven by a pinion I8 provided on the drive shaft i9. This shaft I9 is journaled in brackets 20 projecting from the end of the machine frame, and a drive pulley 2l is mounted thereon. l

A motor 22 is mounted on a suitable bracket support 23' suspended from the frame 8 and a belt 24 serves to drivingly connect the pulleys 2| and 25 in the conventional manner, the motor being connected to any suitable source of power.

A seed hopper 26 is mounted on the machine frame by means of supports 2'I, and a gate 28 is provided in the spout of said hopper for regulating the discharge of seed therefrom.

A screen frame 29 is disposed beneath the feed hopper 26 and screens 30 and 3I respectively, are mounted therein, the screen 3U being of vrelatively large mesh and is designed to screen out pods and other foreign matter, while the screen 3| screens out dirt, small beans, and splits, etc., which fall onto an imperforate bottom plate 32, and are thence discharged to a suitable bin (not shown) through the trough 33, the product passing over the screen 3| discharging from the end of said screen and into the longitudinally disposed, distributing box 34 which forms a part of the main frame.

The screen frame 29 is mounted on spaced sup- .ports 35, which supports are pivotally connected to the machine frame and screen frame respectively, at the point 36. lA shaker mechanism `B is connected to said frame, and is actuated from the cam 31, a groove 38 being provided in the periphery of said cam, land one end of a follower 39 is mounted in said groove, said follower being mounted on a bracket 40 being revolvably mounted on the shaft 4I, the opposite end of said fol-V lower being pivotally connected to a link 42 which is in turn pivotally connected to the supports 35, so that as the cam is driven, the screen frame willl be actuated accordingly.

A feed box 34 is disposed directly over each pair of rolls I3 and I4, and spaced apart openings 43 are provided in the bottom wall 44. Angles 45 are secured to the respective side walls of the box 34 and an adjustable gate 46 is slidably mo-unted on said angles in facial contact with the plate 44, said plate bein-g slidable to adjust the size of the openings 43 as desired.

A second imperforate distributing plate 41 is disposed a predetermined distance below the feed box 34 and is slightly crowned as shown, and as the beans discharge through the openings 43 onto this plate 41, they will roll outwardly and olf the edges of the plate, falling onto the rolls I3 and I4 as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Positive agitating and conveying means are pro.- vided in the feed box 34 and comprises a shaft 43 mounted in suitable ,bearings 49 provided on the box, and having agitators 56 mounted thereon directly over each discharge opening, a helical wire conveyer 5I being provided on the shaft for agitating and conveying the ybeans. to said discharge openings, The gate 46 controls the area of the discharge openings 43 and is manually adjustable in the usual manner. The shaft 43 `projects from the upper end of the feed box 34, and a sprocket 52 is mounted thereon, a chain 53 serving to drivingly connect said sprocket with sprocket 54 provided 0n the shaft I5.

A sectional roller C is mounted in hanger brackets 56 hung fro-1n the frame, this roller comprising a plurality of relatively thin disks 5'! having an enlarged, centrally disposed opening 53 through which the shaft 59 extends, said shaft being mounted in the brackets 55 and is free to move vertically if necessary and desirable, and it is also quickly removable inasmuch as the bra-ckets 58 are open.

A second longitudinally disposed roller 63 is disposed directly adjacent the sectional roller C and serves to force the disk sections back to proper position as the sorting rolls carry the splits around. These splits due to their shape and texture are carried over by the sorting roll, raising the disks which come in contact therewith, and some of these disks might, due to frictional contact, be sluggish in returning to original po- `sition if such rollers were not provide Gaps appear in the sectional rollers C where the hanger brackets 56v engage the shaft 59 (see Fig. '7 of the drawings), and to prevent the good :product passing therethrough with the splits, I 4provide a resilient defiector 6I, formed as clearly shown in Fig'. 7 of the drawings; this is mounted on a hanger bar 62 and closes the gap. Openings 63 are provided in the edge of the distributor plate 4'Iandas the perfect product cannot pass beneath the section roll C, it travels along the face of the sorting roll, in the direction of pitch and through one of the openings 63, the metal being bowed as at G5 to form a lip which together with the deilector 5I, deilects the perfect product through the openings 63 Iand into the trough formed between the sorting rolls, thence discharging into the trough 66 in the usual manner. i

The rolls I3 and I4 rotate in opposite directions, and as the beans are discharged from the feed box 34 onto the sorting rolls I3 and I4, the splits, cracked, and imperfect beans are carried over and between the sorting roll and sectional roll C, while the round perfect product gradually travels down with the pitch of the rolls, until they are deflected inwardly through the opening `63 by the deflectors 6I, thence being discharged 745 into a trough 66 from where they are bagged or discharged into a suitable bin or receptacle (not shown).

The splits, cracked beans, and imperfect product are carried over and discharged in the direction of rotation of the rolls, and suitable troughs (not shown), can Hoe lprovided for catching this discharging product.

In practice the product to be picked is placed in the hopper 26 from which it flows onto the screen 3D which is actuated from the cam 3'1, the pods and foreign matter discharging into the trough 33, while the beansl pass over the screen 3| and thence discharge into the feed box 34, the sand, chaff, etc., falling onto the imperforate plate 32 and being discharged into another trough (not shown).

The helical conveyers 5I are driven from the sprockets 52 and carry the beans to the discharge openings 43, thence the beans discharge onto the bottom plate 4l, thence discharging over the edges and onto the face of' the rolls I3 and I4, the splits, culls, and imperfect product traveling outwardly between the sorting rolls and the sectional rolls, while the perfect product rolls into the trough between the sorting rolls, finally discharging into the trough provided at the lower end of the machine. The pitch of the sorting rolls can be adjusted in any desired manner, and the area of the openings in the feed box can be easily controlled by means of the gates 46.

From the foregoing description, it will be clearly obvlous that I have perfected a very simple, practical, and economical sorting machine for sorting beans and similar products.

What I claim is:

1. A sorting machine of the class described comprising a frame, an inclined feed box mounted thereon and into which the product is fed, discharge openings in said box, a distributing plate below said bex, sorting rolls having frictional surfaces disposed parallel with said feed box below said plate and onto which the discharged product is discharged, a shaft parallel with said sorting rolls, and a plurality of diskshaped members loosely mounted on said shaft and riding on said sorting roll.

2. A sorting machine of the class described comprising a frame, sorting rolls having frictional surfaces journaled thereon, a shaft parallel with the rolls, a plurality of thin disks loosely mounted thereon for movement in'a vertical direction with relation to said shaft and riding on said sorting r0ll, and means for feeding the product onto said rolls.l

3. A sorting machine of the class described comprising a mobile frame, driven sorting rolls having frictional surfaces j ournaled` thereon, shafts adjacent said rolls, and a plurality of' thin disks loosely mounted thereon and riding on said rolls, and av second driven roll journaled on said frame adjacent said disks and in engagement therewith.

4. A sorting machine of the class described comprising a. frame, driven sorting rel-ls having frictiorlalf Surfaces intima-led, thereon. a removable shaft parallel with and; adjacent each rolland provided with va plurality of thin .disks mounted thereon and' riding on said roll, a discharge plate, a feed box above said plate and-l parallel with the. rolls and provided with discharge openings open to said. plate, means for conveying the product in the box for discharging ontoA said plate, agitatinsr means disposedl over-'l each discharge opening, and means driving said agitating and conveying means.

5. A sorting machine of the class describe comprising a frame, driven sorting rolls having frictional surfaces journaled thereon, a feed box disposed in parallel relation above said rolls and provided with adjustable discharge openings therein, a distributing plate below said box and defiecting the product onto said rolls, a shaft over each sorting roll, and a plurality of thin disks loosely mounted thereon and riding thereon, said disks being movable vertically with relation to each other, driven agitating means disposed over each discharge opening, and conveying means in said feed box for conveying the product to said discharge opening.

6. Afsorting machine of the class described comprising a frame, longitudinally disposed sorting rolls having frictional surfaces journaled thereon, a feed box into which the product to be sorted is fed, manually controlled discharge openings in said box, a. distributor plate interposed between said box and rolls for deflccting the product onto said rolls, a shaft loosely mounted on the frame, a plurality of thin disks loosely mounted thereon and riding on said rolls at a point directly adjacent the point at which the product discharges onto the rolls, and a drive en roller journaled on said frame and engaging said disks.

7. A bean sorting machine comprising a frame, longitudinally disposed sorting rolls having frictional surfaces journaled thereon, a feed box adapted to receive the product to be sorted, discharge openings therein, a deliector plate interposed between said box and sorting rolls for directing the product onto said rolls, spaced apart openings in the edge of said plate, a shaft mounted on the frame, a plurality of relatively thin disks mounted for vertical movement on said shaft and riding on the roll, means for deflecting the good product back through deflector plate openings, and conveying means in the feed box for distributing the product in said box.

8. A bean sorting machine including a frame, a driven frictional sorting roll journaled thereon, a sectional roll comprising a shaft having a plurality of thin disk members mounted thereon and riding on said roll, said disks being movable vertically with relation to each other, hanger brackets mounted on said frame and supporting said shaft at points intermediate its length, resilient clips disposed adjacent said brackets for deiecting the product being sorted inwardly and away from the direction of rotation of said roll, and means for feeding and distributing the product to be sorted onto said roll.

9. A bean sorting machine including a frame, a driven fricticnal sorting roll journaled thereon, a sectional roll adjacent to and riding on said sorting roll and comprising a plurality of thin disks vertically movable on said shaft, a deiiector plate for directing the product to be sorted onto said sorting roll, spaced apart openings in the edge of said defiector plate, and a defiector adjacent each opening forV deecting the product inwardly and away from the direction of rotation of said sorting roll. i'

LEE A. MEDCALF. 

